The Other Day, I Met a Bear

To say that my husband is an outdoorsman is like saying Tiger Woods golfs once in a while. The man that I married eats, sleeps & thinks about being outside. If he's not out there hunting, fishing, scouting, or hiking he's planning the next time that he will be. Of course when you put in the time, you're bound to have more than your fair share of animal encounters.

A few weeks before our wedding Tony managed to crack two ribs escaping from a sow black bear with two cubs. Then there was the black bear that decided to use him as a punching bag. When he arrived home that time he was covered in blood, but still standing! 

Usually I am the recipient of these tales long after the fact. He has this amazing ability to weave a story as he elaborates on every detail. I can listen to him tell the same ones over and over. But once in a while I get to see it for myself. 

We had been camping at Barnes Lake with friends and were on our way back from a little side trip to Oregon Jack Provincial Park (we went to see the pictographs there). We had just rounded a corner when Tony said, "There's a bear!" I was still processing the word 'bear' as he was making his way up the mountainside with our new camera. At first it seemed as if the bear would disappear in a hurry. In fact it stood on its hind legs and huffed quite a bit. I take this as a bad sign. To Tony that's a sign to get closer.

But suddenly the bear seemed to have a change of heart, deciding rather to pose for a spread in Outdoor Life. Slowly it meandered to a stump and put its elbows on top. "How about this?" "No? Something softer? A little prettier? These flowers look nice. Let me sit behind them."

We probably stayed and took pictures and watched him for about 1/2 hour while he gave us ample opportunity to take these amazing photographs.

​Of course my favourite is the one of my outdoorsman and his 'voguing' bear.